February 20, 2013, 2:39PM

WASHINGTON - Few states face the difficult environmental challenges that Louisiana does. Yet, according to a survey of congressional votes in 2012 by the League of Conservation Voters, most Louisiana members took the "environmental position" less than 10 percent of the time. But another group with a decidedly different point of view, Americans for Prosperity, gave the Republican-dominated delegation... Full story »

February 19, 2013, 3:38PM

Washington -- Sen. David Vitter's latest fight with the Obama administration is over what he labels "sue and settle," in which federal environmental regulators settle lawsuits brought by environmental groups under terms he says are unfair to property owners and businesses. Environmental groups say that Vitter has it all wrong, and that business litigates to limit environmental regulations far... Full story »

February 15, 2013, 5:00PM

Julia Fisher-Perrier won a seat on the St. Charles Parish Council on Friday, when the qualifying period for the April 6 election ended with no one signing up to challenge her. Fisher-Perrier has represented the 7th District on an interim basis since January, when she was appointed to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Dennis Nuss. But... Full story »

February 14, 2013, 5:11PM

Two thirds of the way through the three-day qualifying period for a pair of St. Charles Parish Council races, three candidates had qualified in the race to replace recently-resigned Councilman Shelley Tastet in the 2nd district, and one candidate qualified to run for the 7th District council seat, given up by Councilman Dennis Nuss. The election is April 6.... Full story »

February 12, 2013, 9:28PM

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address offered new initiatives that, if adopted, will significantly impact Louisiana, including those in the state who make the minimum wage, the oil and gas industry and the state's structurally deficient bridges. It was a bold speech, one that cheered many Democrats, but led Republicans to complain about an expensive, big... Full story »

February 12, 2013, 6:43PM

Washington -- The ball is back on the House side. By a large bipartisan margin, the Senate Tuesday voted to renew the Violence Against Women Act. Last year, the House refused to go along with the Senate version -- killing the measure for the 112th Congress. The act first passed in 1994 after negotiations led by then Sen. Joseph... Full story »

January 29, 2013, 2:49PM

Washington -- In a Senate floor speech Monday, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said the federal discretionary budget "is not out of control despite what we hear on Fox News. Speaking against a GOP proposal Monday night to pay for a Hurricane Sandy relief package with a 1.5 percent across the board cut in federal spending over the next nine... Full story »

January 29, 2013, 11:59AM

Crews from Entergy are working to restore power to around 1,200 customers in LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish government said. The outage is in the Riverlands area, St. John Parish government said in a news release. The news release said Entergy expects to have the customers back up by around 12:30 p.m. Full story »

January 28, 2013, 5:00PM

Washington -- Three months after Hurricane Sandy devastated large portions of the Northeast, the Senate Monday gave final congressional approval to a $50 billion emergency aid package stripped of provisions that would have benefited Louisiana. The vote was 62-36. One item, included in the original Senate bill but removed by the House Republican majority, would have directed the Federal... Full story »

January 14, 2013, 5:52PM

Washington -- Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, is backing an amendment to a Hurricane Sandy aid package that would offset $17 billion in spending with cuts in federal programs. The amendment calls for the new spending to be offset by eliminating mass transit subsidies for federal workers, ending some direct agricultural subsidies and terminating a program adopted in 2008 in... Full story »

January 10, 2013, 5:55PM

St. John the Baptist Parish code enforcement officers will no longer carry badges, nor will they drive vehicles borrowed from the St. John Parish Sheriff's Office, according to Sheriff Mike Tregre. In a mid-week meeting with St. John Parish President Natalie Robottom, Tregre dissolved an agreement between the parish administration and the sheriff's office that allowed code enforcement officers access to... Full story »